May 2, 2025 • 13 mins
We explore the influential model of disability ministry that places leadership in the hands of individuals with disabilities, recognizing their God-given gifts rather than creating token positions. This episode examines how true inclusion means empowering disabled individuals to serve according to their spiritual gifts and talents.
• The influential model values disabled individuals as equally gifted for leadership as any congregation member
• True inclusive ministry avoids "pity placements" and instead identifies and develops genuine spiritual gifts
• Biblical foundation found in Jesus's interaction with the woman with the issue of blood (Matthew 9:18-26)
• Examples include a young woman with extraordinary singing talent and Wendy, who demonstrates powerful intercessory prayer
• Inclusive leadership communicates vulnerability and acceptance while confirming and challenging all community members
• Proper leadership placement requires discipleship and growth, not immediate independent leadership
• When church leadership includes disabled individuals, it transforms perceptions of both community and leadership
For deeper dives into these topics and more, check out indispensable-people.com and visit Amazon to purchase the books The Indispensable Kid and Gospel Accessibility and the Indispensable People.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Hi, my name is Tracy Correll and welcome to
Indispensable People.
I'm a wife, mom, teacher,pastor and missionary, and I
believe that every person shouldhave the opportunity to know
Christ, grow in Him and serveHim with the gifts that he has
given, no matter their ability.
Over 65 million Americans havea disability.
That's 25% of the population.
(00:26):
However, over 80% of them arenot inside the walls of our
church.
Let's dive into those hardtopics biblical foundations,
perceptions and world-changingideas.
Hey, hey, and welcome to thisepisode of Indispensable People.
(00:51):
Today we're talking aboutpromoting and multiplying.
So I am looking into the bookJesus and Disability A Guide to
Creating an Inclusive Church,which is written by Chris H
Hulshof.
I might be saying that wrongI'm pretty sure I'm saying that
(01:12):
wrong, but it's H-U-L-S-H-O-Fand this is towards the end of
the book and it's looking atdifferent types of models of
serving individuals withdisabilities in the church and
what that looks like.
And, of course, this book ispromoting inclusion and there
(01:37):
are lots of different ways to dodisability ministry.
Um, I will tell you, the modelthat I follow is, um, very, uh,
specific to serving individualswith disabilities, but also
including them in the church.
So, just like children havespecific ministry that speaks to
(01:58):
them and their needs at thatage and stage of life.
Youth does, men's ministry,women's ministry.
I do believe that there is aplace to specifically minister
to people with disabilities, butI also believe that they belong
in every other path and part ofthe church.
The majority of the individualswith disabilities that attend
my home church participate ineither main service, children's
(02:23):
services, youth services, all ofthose kinds of things, women's
ministry, men's ministry, all ofthose pieces and parts.
But they also live andexperience life in a different
way and I think that requiresministry specific to them.
But this influential model thatwe're going to talk about today
(02:46):
is I'm going to read a littlepiece that describes it to you
it's ministry is beingaccomplished through the
leadership and direction of adisabled individual.
So this is being specific to anindividual with disabilities
being able to lead in the church.
And it says at the heart ofthis influential model is the
(03:09):
congregation's passion to be abiblically inclusive community
where they are committed to morethan serving alongside the
disabled.
This inclusive congregationwelcomes and encourages
leadership from an individualwho is disabled.
Thus they see those who aredisabled as being equally gifted
(03:30):
for leadership as any othermember of the congregation
actually goes into it and itspeaks of it really, really well
.
This is not saying let's just gocherry pick somebody because
they have a disability and putthem in a place of leadership.
I believe people have gifts andtalents that God has given them
(03:53):
.
I believe that that means thatthey have a sweet spot somewhere
in ministry, that God hasintended them to live out their
purpose and their calling,because all of us are called in
some shape or form.
And that doesn't mean that wegive pity placements.
I don't agree with that at all.
I think that that actuallylooks down on someone with a
(04:16):
disability, makes them less thanand I don't know about you, but
I don't want to be placed in aplace of position because
somebody felt bad for me, and Ido believe that people with
disabilities would appreciateand feel respected if they are
much more suitably placed inwhatever piece of leadership
(04:40):
that looks like.
I attended a summer getawayprogram for the ministry that I
serve under in Kentucky and theydo a talent show and there was
a girl who stepped up to the micwho was going to sing and she
started singing and I was like,oh my word, the Lord has blessed
(05:03):
her with an incredible voice.
She needs to be utilizing thisfor God.
That is a gifting and a talentthat God has given her that she
could be using to share withothers so that they could have
an experience with God, and Itruly believe that is the case
(05:26):
across the board.
I could also tell you and Ithink I've shared this story a
long, long time ago about myfriend, wendy, who has an
intellectual disability.
She participated in what wascalled Coffee and a Prayer and
One of the other volunteers wasgoing up to the vehicle with
(05:46):
Wendy to pray, to support her,and when they heard her begin to
pray, they were like shedoesn't need me, god has gifted
her as an intercessor.
And that extra volunteerstepped back and let Wendy do
what God has gifted her to do.
These are not places of pity.
(06:06):
These are places that God hadintended, with their gifts and
talents, to serve.
So I want to share with youthis that is in this book.
Again, the book is called Jesusand Disability A Guide to
Creating an Inclusive Church,and it says the influential role
(06:26):
can be identified with Jesus'shealing of the woman, with the
issue of blood, and that can befound in Matthew 9, 18-26 or
Mark 5, 21-43.
Also in Luke 8, 40-46.
And it says in this encounter,jesus takes the faith of the
(06:48):
woman and uses it as a means toinfluence the faith of Jairus.
It is the life and testimony ofthis once disabled individual
that Jesus taps into as means ofgrowing, leading and moving
Jairus further into faith.
Through Jesus, this womanbecomes a leader in the faith
development of Jarius.
She is his teacher, as Jarius,or as Jesus challenges him and
(07:14):
says don't be afraid, onlybelieve.
So the book goes on to say thedisability inclusive pastor who
practices inclusive leadershipwill see this influential model
as a culmination of of ECHO'sfive critical characteristics.
(07:37):
Inclusive church leadership thatis, disability inclusive will
seek to involve the maximumnumber of people and empower
individuals to reach their fullpotential.
Thus, a pastor is not simplytrying to fill a staff or
leadership role with a disabledindividual as a merely a token
of inclusivity, and that is sovery important, so so important.
(08:00):
Rather, this pastor or leaderseeks out and encourages church
leadership to embrace those withdisabilities wherever they are
best suited to lead acongregation.
So, so important.
Again, we're looking forpeople's gifts and talents, we
(08:21):
are placing them in properleadership placement, placing
them in proper leadershipplacement and we, just like any
other person in the church, weare growing and discipling.
We're not going to assume thatthey know everything, that they
can do all things independently.
We're going to come alongsidethem in that discipleship
process and grow them into theleaders who can serve in the
(08:45):
gifts and talents that God hasgiven them.
And this goes on to say a pastoris also the one paying
attention to those in the equalmodel who have been gifted for
leadership.
His awareness of andfamiliarity with their service
allows for him to empower theseindividuals to move forward from
discipleship to leadership.
(09:07):
This empowerment encouragestheir leadership of others as
they move from being discipledto discipling others.
And I think it is in the I knowit's in Chi Alpha, if you're
familiar with that group, whichis college ministry, and their
(09:29):
goal and their kind of taglineis what they say is that we're
disciples who make disciples,who make disciples, who make
disciples.
It is a constant cycle ofdiscipleship making and finding
those places and positions ofservice and leadership and
(09:53):
knowing that each and everyperson has a place in that cycle
and that they can influence thenext person and that they can
feed into.
And this is where we go fromthat.
Are we a ministry consideringdisability ministry?
Are we only a ministry whoserves and does not have those
(10:19):
individuals serve in return?
Right?
Do we only come alongside ofthem or do we equip and empower
them to serve?
Inclusive leadership this iswhat is said in this book.
Inclusive leadership, asdirected through a pastor,
operates in such a way as tohave leaders who model
(10:39):
individual worth through theirunderstanding of imago dei and
identity.
When church leadership isrepresented by individuals with
disability, it influences theperception of both community and
leadership.
This type of inclusiveleadership subtly communicates a
community value ofvulnerability and acceptance,
(11:04):
and Jean Venier reveals thiskind of community, what it looks
like, by saying a community isnot an abstract ideal.
We're not striving for aperfect community.
Community is not ideal.
It is people.
It is you and I.
In community, we are called tolove people just as they are,
with their wounds and theirgifts, not as we would want them
(11:26):
to be.
Community means giving themspace, helping them to grow, and
it means also receiving fromthem so that we too can grow.
It is giving each other freedom.
It is giving each other trust.
It is confirming but alsochallenging each other.
This type of community can onlybe achieved when the leadership,
(11:47):
regardless of abilities,understands who they are as the
image of God.
Thus, church leadership sharesa common value and worth of the
individual, because we are madein the image of God.
This shared understanding ofvalue translates into a free and
life-giving community.
Both leaders and followersunderstand how God sees them and
(12:12):
how God sees others in thecommunity.
Just as Jesus used faith of thewoman to shape the faith of
Jairus, so church leadershipuses their understanding of
individual worth to shape theidentity and life-giving faith
of the congregation.
And that is how good God is,because that is how he sees
(12:35):
community.
That is how he sees his body ofChrist functioning together,
helping each other, lifting oneanother up, taking on one
another's burdens andchallenging each other to become
better each and every day sothat others can know God and can
live in that same value andunderstanding of the image of
(12:58):
Christ and the purpose and planfor our lives.
Do I know everything aboutdisability ministry?
Do I have all the answers?
Have I done everythingperfectly?
I have absolutely not, but weare going to continue this
conversation so that people ofall abilities can have the
(13:19):
opportunity to know Christ, growin Him and serve Him with the
gifts that he has given them.
Serve him with the gifts thathe has given them.
For deeper dives into thesetopics and more, check out
indispensablepeoplecom and visitAmazon to purchase the books
the Indispensable Kid and GospelAccessibility and the
Indispensable People.
(13:39):
You.
Hi, my name is Tracy Correll and welcome to
Indispensable People.
I'm a wife, mom, teacher,pastor and missionary, and I
believe that every person shouldhave the opportunity to know
Christ, grow in Him and serveHim with the gifts that he has
given, no matter their ability.
Over 65 million Americans havea disability.
That's 25% of the population.
(00:26):
However, over 80% of them arenot inside the walls of our
church.
Let's dive into those hardtopics biblical foundations,
perceptions and world-changingideas.
Hey, hey, and welcome to thisepisode of Indispensable People.
(00:51):
Today we're talking aboutpromoting and multiplying.
So I am looking into the bookJesus and Disability A Guide to
Creating an Inclusive Church,which is written by Chris H
Hulshof.
I might be saying that wrongI'm pretty sure I'm saying that
(01:12):
wrong, but it's H-U-L-S-H-O-Fand this is towards the end of
the book and it's looking atdifferent types of models of
serving individuals withdisabilities in the church and
what that looks like.
And, of course, this book ispromoting inclusion and there
(01:37):
are lots of different ways to dodisability ministry.
Um, I will tell you, the modelthat I follow is, um, very, uh,
specific to serving individualswith disabilities, but also
including them in the church.
So, just like children havespecific ministry that speaks to
(01:58):
them and their needs at thatage and stage of life.
Youth does, men's ministry,women's ministry.
I do believe that there is aplace to specifically minister
to people with disabilities, butI also believe that they belong
in every other path and part ofthe church.
The majority of the individualswith disabilities that attend
my home church participate ineither main service, children's
(02:23):
services, youth services, all ofthose kinds of things, women's
ministry, men's ministry, all ofthose pieces and parts.
But they also live andexperience life in a different
way and I think that requiresministry specific to them.
But this influential model thatwe're going to talk about today
(02:46):
is I'm going to read a littlepiece that describes it to you
it's ministry is beingaccomplished through the
leadership and direction of adisabled individual.
So this is being specific to anindividual with disabilities
being able to lead in the church.
And it says at the heart ofthis influential model is the
(03:09):
congregation's passion to be abiblically inclusive community
where they are committed to morethan serving alongside the
disabled.
This inclusive congregationwelcomes and encourages
leadership from an individualwho is disabled.
Thus they see those who aredisabled as being equally gifted
(03:30):
for leadership as any othermember of the congregation
actually goes into it and itspeaks of it really, really well
.
This is not saying let's just gocherry pick somebody because
they have a disability and putthem in a place of leadership.
I believe people have gifts andtalents that God has given them
(03:53):
.
I believe that that means thatthey have a sweet spot somewhere
in ministry, that God hasintended them to live out their
purpose and their calling,because all of us are called in
some shape or form.
And that doesn't mean that wegive pity placements.
I don't agree with that at all.
I think that that actuallylooks down on someone with a
(04:16):
disability, makes them less thanand I don't know about you, but
I don't want to be placed in aplace of position because
somebody felt bad for me, and Ido believe that people with
disabilities would appreciateand feel respected if they are
much more suitably placed inwhatever piece of leadership
(04:40):
that looks like.
I attended a summer getawayprogram for the ministry that I
serve under in Kentucky and theydo a talent show and there was
a girl who stepped up to the micwho was going to sing and she
started singing and I was like,oh my word, the Lord has blessed
(05:03):
her with an incredible voice.
She needs to be utilizing thisfor God.
That is a gifting and a talentthat God has given her that she
could be using to share withothers so that they could have
an experience with God, and Itruly believe that is the case
(05:26):
across the board.
I could also tell you and Ithink I've shared this story a
long, long time ago about myfriend, wendy, who has an
intellectual disability.
She participated in what wascalled Coffee and a Prayer and
One of the other volunteers wasgoing up to the vehicle with
(05:46):
Wendy to pray, to support her,and when they heard her begin to
pray, they were like shedoesn't need me, god has gifted
her as an intercessor.
And that extra volunteerstepped back and let Wendy do
what God has gifted her to do.
These are not places of pity.
(06:06):
These are places that God hadintended, with their gifts and
talents, to serve.
So I want to share with youthis that is in this book.
Again, the book is called Jesusand Disability A Guide to
Creating an Inclusive Church,and it says the influential role
(06:26):
can be identified with Jesus'shealing of the woman, with the
issue of blood, and that can befound in Matthew 9, 18-26 or
Mark 5, 21-43.
Also in Luke 8, 40-46.
And it says in this encounter,jesus takes the faith of the
(06:48):
woman and uses it as a means toinfluence the faith of Jairus.
It is the life and testimony ofthis once disabled individual
that Jesus taps into as means ofgrowing, leading and moving
Jairus further into faith.
Through Jesus, this womanbecomes a leader in the faith
development of Jarius.
She is his teacher, as Jarius,or as Jesus challenges him and
(07:14):
says don't be afraid, onlybelieve.
So the book goes on to say thedisability inclusive pastor who
practices inclusive leadershipwill see this influential model
as a culmination of of ECHO'sfive critical characteristics.
(07:37):
Inclusive church leadership thatis, disability inclusive will
seek to involve the maximumnumber of people and empower
individuals to reach their fullpotential.
Thus, a pastor is not simplytrying to fill a staff or
leadership role with a disabledindividual as a merely a token
of inclusivity, and that is sovery important, so so important.
(08:00):
Rather, this pastor or leaderseeks out and encourages church
leadership to embrace those withdisabilities wherever they are
best suited to lead acongregation.
So, so important.
Again, we're looking forpeople's gifts and talents, we
(08:21):
are placing them in properleadership placement, placing
them in proper leadershipplacement and we, just like any
other person in the church, weare growing and discipling.
We're not going to assume thatthey know everything, that they
can do all things independently.
We're going to come alongsidethem in that discipleship
process and grow them into theleaders who can serve in the
(08:45):
gifts and talents that God hasgiven them.
And this goes on to say a pastoris also the one paying
attention to those in the equalmodel who have been gifted for
leadership.
His awareness of andfamiliarity with their service
allows for him to empower theseindividuals to move forward from
discipleship to leadership.
(09:07):
This empowerment encouragestheir leadership of others as
they move from being discipledto discipling others.
And I think it is in the I knowit's in Chi Alpha, if you're
familiar with that group, whichis college ministry, and their
(09:29):
goal and their kind of taglineis what they say is that we're
disciples who make disciples,who make disciples, who make
disciples.
It is a constant cycle ofdiscipleship making and finding
those places and positions ofservice and leadership and
(09:53):
knowing that each and everyperson has a place in that cycle
and that they can influence thenext person and that they can
feed into.
And this is where we go fromthat.
Are we a ministry consideringdisability ministry?
Are we only a ministry whoserves and does not have those
(10:19):
individuals serve in return?
Right?
Do we only come alongside ofthem or do we equip and empower
them to serve?
Inclusive leadership this iswhat is said in this book.
Inclusive leadership, asdirected through a pastor,
operates in such a way as tohave leaders who model
(10:39):
individual worth through theirunderstanding of imago dei and
identity.
When church leadership isrepresented by individuals with
disability, it influences theperception of both community and
leadership.
This type of inclusiveleadership subtly communicates a
community value ofvulnerability and acceptance,
(11:04):
and Jean Venier reveals thiskind of community, what it looks
like, by saying a community isnot an abstract ideal.
We're not striving for aperfect community.
Community is not ideal.
It is people.
It is you and I.
In community, we are called tolove people just as they are,
with their wounds and theirgifts, not as we would want them
(11:26):
to be.
Community means giving themspace, helping them to grow, and
it means also receiving fromthem so that we too can grow.
It is giving each other freedom.
It is giving each other trust.
It is confirming but alsochallenging each other.
This type of community can onlybe achieved when the leadership,
(11:47):
regardless of abilities,understands who they are as the
image of God.
Thus, church leadership sharesa common value and worth of the
individual, because we are madein the image of God.
This shared understanding ofvalue translates into a free and
life-giving community.
Both leaders and followersunderstand how God sees them and
(12:12):
how God sees others in thecommunity.
Just as Jesus used faith of thewoman to shape the faith of
Jairus, so church leadershipuses their understanding of
individual worth to shape theidentity and life-giving faith
of the congregation.
And that is how good God is,because that is how he sees
(12:35):
community.
That is how he sees his body ofChrist functioning together,
helping each other, lifting oneanother up, taking on one
another's burdens andchallenging each other to become
better each and every day sothat others can know God and can
live in that same value andunderstanding of the image of
(12:58):
Christ and the purpose and planfor our lives.
Do I know everything aboutdisability ministry?
Do I have all the answers?
Have I done everythingperfectly?
I have absolutely not, but weare going to continue this
conversation so that people ofall abilities can have the
(13:19):
opportunity to know Christ, growin Him and serve Him with the
gifts that he has given them.
Serve him with the gifts thathe has given them.
For deeper dives into thesetopics and more, check out
indispensablepeoplecom and visitAmazon to purchase the books
the Indispensable Kid and GospelAccessibility and the
Indispensable People.
(13:39):
You.
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